I almost went to Brown University. I applied early decision. I wanted nothing else. Brown won my heart.
I did everything I could to get in:
- Interviewed with an alumni
- Visited the school
- Contacted a student at the school
- Asked my cousin who went for advice
- Wrote multiple essays
- Emailed my admission counselor back and forth
- Sent in extra work that I did
- Lived on College Confidential (don’t do this)
And then Brown broke my heart. I didn’t get rejected, something much worse: I got deferred and was forced to wait a couple more months, holding onto any last bit of hope I had, until they finally let me down easy.
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This past summer I became a mega fan of Malcolm Gladwell. After listening to his podcasts, watching his talks on YouTube, and reading a couple of his less famous books, I gave in and picked up David and Goliath, one of his best-sellers.
In it he chronicles the story of a girl by the name of Caroline Sacks. She grew up a science lover: think magnifying glass in hand, crawling bugs, deep sea creature posters–the whole schabang. She got into Brown University. Just like me, she was enticed by the prestige, accomplished faculty, resources, and fascinating students. (I also liked that I could go to school where Emma Watson went and that they had a midnight organ recital on Halloween night, but that’s a story for another time).
In high school Sacks was in the top of her class. Now comparative to everyone else she was a ‘’small fish in the deepest and most competitive pond in the country.’’ She was smart comparative to the rest of the world (probably in the 99th percentile), but in her new world, she was ‘’below average” and felt stupid. She struggled with her spring semester organic chemistry class and was told by her advisor that she would have no other choice than to drop it and take it again the following semester. Spoiler: next semester she didn’t do any better.
The tragedy here is the Caroline Sacks loved science with a passion. But because of her grades she was forced to switch majors.
When asked what would have happened if she went down a tier to her second choice school, University of Maryland, she replied with ‘’I’d still be in science.’’
The lesson here is that maybe Ivies are overrated. Maybe they aren’t the best places for people like Caroline Sacks. In high school, for most high achievers, Ivies are the goal. I remember the first time I met with my high school advisor I said matter of factly, “I want to go to Princeton. What do I need to do?” Some parents even push students in high school, sometimes a little too hard, to the point of headaches and general sadness just so they have a chance at getting in.
BUT what if a student was actually more successful if they went to UMD and not Brown?
In retrospect, I may have made the right choice coming to Penn State. Only time will tell. One thing is for sure: so far it feels good to be a big fish.
Outside Sources:
Gladwell, Malcolm. David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. First edition. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013.
I have never read something MORE relatable! I am in complete accordance with you. I was an exceptional student back home and my success led me to apply to Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania. Being let down by these two schools was very upsetting but I knew from that moment on, they were not meant for me. The Ivies are all the talk at my high school and I felt like it’s where I had to be if I wanted to achieve success in my future. However, this is not the case. In my opinion, they are overrated. I believe Sacks’ story happens to several students at top tier schools — honestly it’d probably happen to me. I love that you connected with her and so do I. I think that everything happens for a reason and being here at Penn State, in Schreyer Honors College, I am loving every second of being a big fish in an aquarium of 40,000 other fish (students)! Who knows, maybe in four years, we’ll know that we made the best decision by coming here!
Kara, very well said. I think we definitely made the right decision coming here. We have the best of all worlds because we get the big school but also the small Schreyer community/resources, so I couldn’t agree more. I think more high school students, including a younger version of myself, need to read Sack’s story because it’s super important. Especially super important for those high school high achievers who think if they don’t get into an Ivy they won’t succeed.
Something I was troubling myself with as well, interesting to hear your story. I applied to a “junior Ivy” Lehigh University as well as here. I did not do early decision since I knew that I loved Penn State and its programs and certainly was unable to finance $50,000 a year (I doubted I would receive any aid from them). I was put on a wait-list, of which I declined my spot, I felt if that was not a sign enough to come to Penn State, then the Nittany Lion must have to bust through my window by helicopter and airlift me here.
I agree they certainly are overrated and definitely overpriced.
I like the variety of passion you have going on here, looking forward to what comes next – also – nice speech today!
Matt
I’m glad that you could relate to my story. I think there are a lot of other students who can also relate. Ivies are overpriced, but many are starting to make it more fair for low-income students, which is good. They are overrated in that lower-tier schools are just as good if not better at doing what they are supposed to do: finding students jobs.